Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live web cam on the summit of near 13,800 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. This web cam is available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon shining down during the night at times. Plus, during the nights you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise and sunset too… depending upon weather conditions.

Aloha Paragraphs

Windyweekend, be prepared…as winds willgust
as high as 60+ mph in some areas – starting later
this afternoon

Showers will fall mostly along the windward sides
and around the mountains…although elsewhere
at times too – carried by the increasingly strong
winds – possible flooding problems some areas…
especially parts of Maui and the Big Island

A cold front will pass through the islands today – which
will bring a period of cool and very strong trade winds
later this afternoon…with off and on showers – some
locally heavy late this afternoon into Sunday

Flood Advisory…for parts of Maui County – until 5am

Small Craft Wind Advisory…all coastal and channel
waters

High Surf Advisory…for rising northwest swell along
the north and west shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai,
the north shores of Maui, and the west shore of
the Big Island

High Wind Warning…leeward areas this weekend,
including the island of Lanai and Kahoolawe – starting
4pm this afternoon

Wind Advisory…late this afternoon through Sunday

IMPACTS: WINDS THIS STRONG CAN RESULT IN DAMAGED ROOFS…
BROKEN AND FALLING TREE BRANCHES…DOWNED POWER POLES
AND POWER LINES LEADING TO INTERRUPTIONS TO POWER…
DOWNED TREES…AND FLYING DEBRIS IF OUTDOOR ITEMS ARE
NOT PROPERLY TIED DOWN.

The following numbers represent the most recent top wind gusts (mph), along with directions…as of Friday evening:

Winds becoming much stronger beginning later Saturday…continuing into the first day or two of the new week ahead. Here’s the latestweather map, showing the Hawaiian Islands, and the rest of the North Pacific Ocean. Here’s a real-time wind profile of the central Pacific…focused on the Hawaiian Islands. ~~~ We see a storm low pressure system north-northeast of the state, with the tail-end of an associated cold front/trough to our north and northwest, with another trough over the eastern islands. Meanwhile, we see a strong, near 1036 millibar high pressure system to our northwest…moving eastward. Our winds will be trade…which will strengthen significantly during the weekend. They will ease up by the middle of the new week ahead.Satellite imageryshows lots of clouds over and around the islands…which will be increasing into Saturday. Here’s alooping radar image, showing generally light to moderately heavy showers moving across the island chain…on the northeast trade wind flow. The bulk of these showers are concentrating their efforts best along the windward coasts and slopes. Looking at this largersatellite image, which is in the looping mode, we a couple of approaching weak cold fronts or troughs to our northwest…which will reach our islands overnight into Saturday.

A dramatic change in our weather will occur this weekend…followed by a more normal trade wind weather pattern during the new week ahead. We’ll see a weak cold front arrive early Saturday, which will bring some showers to the state. The big news however won’t be the front’s showers…but rather the very strong and gusty winds that follow in its wake! These winds won’t be the normal trade winds that we’re used to seeing, not at all. This will be a news worthy wind event, which will have our coconut palm trees bending over, and our local ocean conditions very rough and dangerous. Winds will be blowing in the 35 to 45 mph range in general, however gusts will reach up to near 65 mph in those windiest areas Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning. The models suggest that these blustery trades will continue into the new week…although mellow-out some starting next Tuesday into Wednesday. I’ll be back again early Saturday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Friday night wherever you’re spending it! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Here on Maui, at the 3,100 foot elevation, at my upper Kula, Maui weather tower, the air temperature was 55.6 degrees at 610amon this Friday morning. Our skies are partly to mostly cloudy this morning, with showers falling locally. These generally light showers are focused most intently along our windward sides. The well advertised big winds aren’t here yet, although as I was saying last evening, it’s not too early to begin making some preparations. The approaching trough of low pressure will usher in this wind event, and will also bring some showers with it, although that won’t be the main issue. Securing outdoor lawn furniture may be the first line of defense, and taking in trash cans, those kinds of things…would be easier to do before these strong winds arrive this weekend. There may very well be problems with power lines, roofs, and broken tree branches too.

~~~It’s late morning now at 1110am, under partly cloudy skies, a very light breeze…and an air temperature of 69.6 degrees.In a sense I guess we could call today the calm before the storm. It’s not calm, and its not going to be a classic storm, although it is going to be getting unusually windy this weekend. Looking around the state at the time of this writing, the strongest winds were gusting to only 24 mph, which is pretty normal. This big blow will likely reach its peak intensity at some point late Saturday through the early afternoon Sunday.

~~~ We’re into the mid-afternoon time frame now, at 250pm, under partly to mostly cloudy skies overhead, with a light shower falling…the air temperature is 73.2 degrees. Looking around the state now, I see that wind gusts are topping out at near 30 mph in a couple of places, with generally winds being still on the typical side of the spectrum. By the time we get into the Saturday afternoon period, I think things will be different, and certainly by Saturday night into Sunday. The winds will be uppity by then, and likely howlin’ pretty good. As the winds are expected to reach near 65 mph in those windiest areas, that’s just 10 mph less than hurricane force! As I’ve said several times the last few days, it’s time to begin battening down the hatches before the blustery winds arrive later tomorrow.

~~~ It’s now early evening, at 525pm HST, under mostly cloudy skies a light mist. Looking out around the island of Maui I see considerable clouds, and falling showers over towards the windward sides. The winds aren’t up yet, although by this time Saturday afternoon, through most of Sunday…will be a way different story! If you are planning on being out of doors, or on the ocean, you should factor in, heavily factor in the great probability of unusually strong winds. When the NWS begins talking about power poles down, power lines down in turn, roofs being damaged in places, and of course the broken tree branches flying around…we need to take this seriously. Oops, it starting raining heavy a few minutes after I wrote this latest update! Heading downtown to see that film I wrote about below…

By the way, I’ll be heading out on vacation next week, and return in April…I wanted to give you a heads up in advance. Be clear though, that all daily updated forecasts for everywhere in the state will remain available in my absence.

Friday Evening Film: There are lots of films showing now, however I must admit that none of them are really reaching out to me strongly. This evening I’ve decided to see the one called Need For Speed, starring Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Ramon Rodriquez, Imogen Poots, and Rami Malek…among others. The synopsis: Based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever with over 140 million copies sold, DreamWorks Pictures’ “Need for Speed” captures the thrills of the game in a real-world setting. An exciting return to the great car-culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, when authenticity brought a new level of intensity to the action, “Need for Speed” taps into what makes the American myth of the open road so enticing. The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country race against time-one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. In a last attempt to save his struggling garage, blue-collar mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul)-who with his team skillfully builds and races muscle cars on the side-reluctantly partners with wealthy, arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). Just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet (Imogen Poots) looks like it will save the business, a disastrous, unsanctioned race results in Dino framing Tobey for manslaughter.

I figured that with all the blustery winds that will be blowing this weekend, this would be the one to see. I’ll be giving you my opinion of this film Saturday morning. By the way, the credits are giving this film a very mild-mannered 23 out of 100 rating, which isn’t encouraging. However, the viewers in this survey, are giving a much better 68 rating. Here’s atrailerfor this action film, just in case you happen to be interested, and after just watching it myself…I’m not sure how many of you would be! As it turned out, when I got to the theater, this film actually begins next Thursday night, oh well. I had a nice dinner downtown, and then went shopping for a new shirt, so I felt ok about the trip.

Interesting:A global climate change directive? – Could another climate change deal be in the works? World leaders are meeting in Brussels this month to discuss climate change. While environmentalists are calling for urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, diplomatic language presented in the introductory document is most likely not ambitious enough.

“Sustainable economic growth will only be possible if we tackle climate change,” a draft communiqué ahead of the EU-US summit on 26 March says. The text is subject to further negotiation between the European Union and the United States.

Both blocs are preparing new pledges on cutting emissions for the first quarter of 2015, ahead of a UN summit in Paris that is meant to agree a new global deal.

Its aim must be to limit any global average temperature increase to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels “and should therefore include ambitious mitigation contributions, notably from the world’s major economies and other significant emitters,” the document says.

Brussels has sought to lead efforts to curb global warming with more ambitious carbon-cutting goals than any other bloc, but some of its member states, notably Poland, say there is no point in Europe taking the lead when it is responsible for little more than 10% of global emissions.

About 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the US, the world’s second biggest emitter, and China, which tops the pollution table.

Earlier this month, the UN’s climate chief, Christiana Figueres, said closer cooperation between Beijing and Washington could boost prospects for a UN deal in 2015.

European environmental campaigners say such a partnership could also marginalize Europe in the debate, and in the race to keep up with technological advances to decarbonize energy.

To prepare its negotiating stance ahead of the 2015 talks, the EU executive, in January proposed 2030 climate and energy goals, including a 40% carbon-cutting target. That compares with a 2020 goal to cut emissions by 20% from 1990 levels, which has almost been achieved.

By contrast, the US has said it will reduce carbon by 17% by 2020 compared with 2005, a fall of just 3.5% below 1990 levels.

Shortly before Obama’s visit to Brussels, a summit of EU leaders on 20-21March, will debate 2030 climate and energy policy, but is not expected to reach a firm agreement, due to the blocking Polish vote.

Good Morning Glenn
How strong do you think the winds will get on Oahu, mainly the Kaimuki area? I can take 40 mph winds but now they’re saying 50+mph gusts. Geesh. I don’t even think Iniki was that strong on Oahu from what I can recall as young kid. Well I hope this weekend is not that bad and stay safe up there in Kula.~~~Hi Peter, good to hear from you. As for the wind in your area there on Oahu, it looks like 35-45 mph, with some gusts to 50-60 mph. It’s true, this looks like a very windy weekend, batten down the hatches as best you can. Aloha, Glenn